POSTED UNDER Breast Reduction REVIEWS
My Reduction Story
ORIGINAL POST
My Reduction Story
SunshinebodyNovember 20, 2020
Hey everyone, it’s my time to share now. I’ve been looking at this website for 5 years, had 4 appointments to get the procedure done but kept pushing it back. Finally I did it and here is my story.
I’ve been about a solid 202 pounds G Cup for quite sometime. My first appt with Dr. Chang he advised me to drop 20 pounds. I didn’t do it and kept making the appointments for surgery but was so nervous and unsure I would cancel. So finally I lost about 15 pounds thanks to the quarantine. I walked everyday for 30 min and then would come in the house and do a YouTube 30 min exercise video. On top of that intermittent fasted from 8pm to noon with a 8 hour eating window each day. I lost the weight in about 3 to 4 months. When I went for my final pre op Dr. Chang showed more confidence in me being happy with my results since I lost a few lbs. He stated that I can continue to lose and my new breast will have little change. Dr. Chang also stated that most Kaiser Permentae docs recommended that patients have a BMI less than 30%, and patients often get sent his way because they are over that and he is one of the only docs that will perform the surgery. He explained to me being close to a 30% BMI was good and everything should go smoothly. My BMI at the time of my appt was 32%.
My surgery was scheduled for Monday so Friday I was instructed to do the following:
1.Take a pregnancy test
2.Take a drug test
3. Take a COVID test last
4. Go home and stay in quarantine until surgery day.
Saturday night I washed my body with epiclense which is an antibacterial soap that I picked up at the pharmacy. The nurse advised that I wash with it Saturday night, Sunday, and again on Monday morning.
Monday morning SURGERY DAY 6am
Couldn’t really sleep because of my nerves. I washed and got dressed to headed to the doctors office. They took me back quick as I was the first patient. They placed an IV in me asked some questions about medical history. That went quick because my medical history is pretty clean and I had no medical issues to report. The nurse I had explained to me that she had the surgery and was happy with the results even 10 years later. The physician assistant said she also had the procedure done and was happy with her results. They rolled me back to the surgery room Dr. Chang marked me up on the spot. Before I knew it I was waking up with tubes dangling from my waist. Of course I was groggy and sleepy after being under anesthesia, it was hard to keep my eyes open. Finally I made it home and the entire day I slept on the couch straight up because lying down wasn’t comfortable and the discharge paperwork recommended sitting up to decrease swelling. I have a high pain tolerance for me it was more uncomfortable than painful. But of course I was still on medication. I couldn’t eat a thing as my stomach would bare it.
I’ve been about a solid 202 pounds G Cup for quite sometime. My first appt with Dr. Chang he advised me to drop 20 pounds. I didn’t do it and kept making the appointments for surgery but was so nervous and unsure I would cancel. So finally I lost about 15 pounds thanks to the quarantine. I walked everyday for 30 min and then would come in the house and do a YouTube 30 min exercise video. On top of that intermittent fasted from 8pm to noon with a 8 hour eating window each day. I lost the weight in about 3 to 4 months. When I went for my final pre op Dr. Chang showed more confidence in me being happy with my results since I lost a few lbs. He stated that I can continue to lose and my new breast will have little change. Dr. Chang also stated that most Kaiser Permentae docs recommended that patients have a BMI less than 30%, and patients often get sent his way because they are over that and he is one of the only docs that will perform the surgery. He explained to me being close to a 30% BMI was good and everything should go smoothly. My BMI at the time of my appt was 32%.
My surgery was scheduled for Monday so Friday I was instructed to do the following:
1.Take a pregnancy test
2.Take a drug test
3. Take a COVID test last
4. Go home and stay in quarantine until surgery day.
Saturday night I washed my body with epiclense which is an antibacterial soap that I picked up at the pharmacy. The nurse advised that I wash with it Saturday night, Sunday, and again on Monday morning.
Monday morning SURGERY DAY 6am
Couldn’t really sleep because of my nerves. I washed and got dressed to headed to the doctors office. They took me back quick as I was the first patient. They placed an IV in me asked some questions about medical history. That went quick because my medical history is pretty clean and I had no medical issues to report. The nurse I had explained to me that she had the surgery and was happy with the results even 10 years later. The physician assistant said she also had the procedure done and was happy with her results. They rolled me back to the surgery room Dr. Chang marked me up on the spot. Before I knew it I was waking up with tubes dangling from my waist. Of course I was groggy and sleepy after being under anesthesia, it was hard to keep my eyes open. Finally I made it home and the entire day I slept on the couch straight up because lying down wasn’t comfortable and the discharge paperwork recommended sitting up to decrease swelling. I have a high pain tolerance for me it was more uncomfortable than painful. But of course I was still on medication. I couldn’t eat a thing as my stomach would bare it.
UPDATED FROM Sunshinebody
13 days post
My First Week
SunshinebodyNovember 22, 2020
The week of my surgery all I did was sleep, and eat. I had high expectations of working since I was working from home but I could not get the energy to do anything. I was prescribed oxycodone and took it faithful every 4 to 6 hours during the first 4 days. However, as a side effect for me on the oxy was constipation. And it was no joke. I was provided with stool softeners but it didn’t help much. So because of that I switched to Motrin 800 upped my water intake, and continued with the stool softeners and that seemed to cure me.
Advice: Make sure you have help. At least for the first few days if not the first week. It’s hard to maneuver alone. I needed help getting and walking the first two days. I could have done it alone but the help makes it easier. I also needed help washing up because I would get tired so quickly and it was a struggle to move at times. I wouldn’t make any plans the first 7 days.
Pain: Again my pain tolerance is pretty good. Most of my pain was due to the swelling and tight feeling from the skin being stretched.
I have an anchor cut incision but I don’t really feel the under boob cut. It’s not bothering me as much as the sensitivity of my nipples and the incision around it. Each day after day 3 gets better. My tubes were really annoying and made me uncomfortable I counted the days until they would be removed. I emptied my tubes twice a day.
Sleep: The living room became my bedroom. Sitting up felt so much better than laying down. I slept on the couch for the first 5 days surrounded by pillows and a foot ottoman it made recovery bearable.
Exercise: I went walking for 15 minutes (slowly) on day 7. I was tired and it was all I could do.
Advice: Make sure you have help. At least for the first few days if not the first week. It’s hard to maneuver alone. I needed help getting and walking the first two days. I could have done it alone but the help makes it easier. I also needed help washing up because I would get tired so quickly and it was a struggle to move at times. I wouldn’t make any plans the first 7 days.
Pain: Again my pain tolerance is pretty good. Most of my pain was due to the swelling and tight feeling from the skin being stretched.
I have an anchor cut incision but I don’t really feel the under boob cut. It’s not bothering me as much as the sensitivity of my nipples and the incision around it. Each day after day 3 gets better. My tubes were really annoying and made me uncomfortable I counted the days until they would be removed. I emptied my tubes twice a day.
Sleep: The living room became my bedroom. Sitting up felt so much better than laying down. I slept on the couch for the first 5 days surrounded by pillows and a foot ottoman it made recovery bearable.
Exercise: I went walking for 15 minutes (slowly) on day 7. I was tired and it was all I could do.
Replies (0)
UPDATED FROM Sunshinebody
13 days post
Week Two
SunshinebodyNovember 22, 2020
Follow up with Dr. Chang on day 8. Time to get the tubes removed. I took an oxy pill 1 hour before my appointment. And boy am I happy I did. Dr. Chang looked at the incisions and thought they looked good. He touched my nipples to see if I can feel anything and I could. It was so sensitive it stinged the touch. He said that was a good sign that I could feel anything.
Tube time. He pulled the tubes out and it was a mild pressure as they were coming out but it was so quick that just when I was about to cringe it was over. He cleaned the cuts with a alcohol solution and strapped me back up. Because my nipples were so sensitive he gave me some padding so the bra wouldn’t rub my nipples. He said I could shower and not to pull off the incision tape and they would come off on their own overtime. We made a two week follow up appt.
Exercise: I asked about exercise and he said I can start walking. No weights , jumping, or upper body workouts. Lower body and low impact was fine.
Advice : Take Pain Medication before your appointment so that you can better tolerate the tube removal.
After my appointment I went home and went to sleep. Woke up ready and able to straighten up my house a bit. I had more energy and felt so much better since the tubes were out. I was able to take my first full body shower.
Showering. I was terrified to let the water touch me, but it wasn’t bad at all. I did have to cover my nipples because they were sensitive to the stream of water. After my shower I put neosporan on my exposed cuts and put on a clean bra.
This week I’ve been a bit more active. I walk every morning for 15 minutes. When I’m done I have to rest for a while because my energy is still not normal. I’ve been to the mall twice, however I move slow because if I walk too fast I can feel tugging and tightness on my around my chest. But overall everything is good.
It’s been a bit cold outside, and I learned to bundle up a bit more because I can feel the cold air in my incisions. On top of that the cold air makes me tense up. So all of that combined is a bit much, so bundle up if it’s cold or cool outside.
Sleeping: Still a struggle. I be made it back to my bedroom, but I’m sleeping on my back because I can’t quite sleep on my side because if I do I feel the other boob stretching. There’s still swelling but not as bad as week one. When waking up I’m a bit stiff. I feel like the tin man but once I start moving around I loosen up.
My feelings: missing my boobs at times. I’m mean let’s be real coming from a G to a D or DD (not sure which yet) seems drastic. Right now I feel flat chested, but I’m patiently waiting for the final results. I have noticed marks that looks like stretch marks from the skin pulling. I’ll have to ask Dr. Chang about it and hopefully it’s temporary.
Tube time. He pulled the tubes out and it was a mild pressure as they were coming out but it was so quick that just when I was about to cringe it was over. He cleaned the cuts with a alcohol solution and strapped me back up. Because my nipples were so sensitive he gave me some padding so the bra wouldn’t rub my nipples. He said I could shower and not to pull off the incision tape and they would come off on their own overtime. We made a two week follow up appt.
Exercise: I asked about exercise and he said I can start walking. No weights , jumping, or upper body workouts. Lower body and low impact was fine.
Advice : Take Pain Medication before your appointment so that you can better tolerate the tube removal.
After my appointment I went home and went to sleep. Woke up ready and able to straighten up my house a bit. I had more energy and felt so much better since the tubes were out. I was able to take my first full body shower.
Showering. I was terrified to let the water touch me, but it wasn’t bad at all. I did have to cover my nipples because they were sensitive to the stream of water. After my shower I put neosporan on my exposed cuts and put on a clean bra.
This week I’ve been a bit more active. I walk every morning for 15 minutes. When I’m done I have to rest for a while because my energy is still not normal. I’ve been to the mall twice, however I move slow because if I walk too fast I can feel tugging and tightness on my around my chest. But overall everything is good.
It’s been a bit cold outside, and I learned to bundle up a bit more because I can feel the cold air in my incisions. On top of that the cold air makes me tense up. So all of that combined is a bit much, so bundle up if it’s cold or cool outside.
Sleeping: Still a struggle. I be made it back to my bedroom, but I’m sleeping on my back because I can’t quite sleep on my side because if I do I feel the other boob stretching. There’s still swelling but not as bad as week one. When waking up I’m a bit stiff. I feel like the tin man but once I start moving around I loosen up.
My feelings: missing my boobs at times. I’m mean let’s be real coming from a G to a D or DD (not sure which yet) seems drastic. Right now I feel flat chested, but I’m patiently waiting for the final results. I have noticed marks that looks like stretch marks from the skin pulling. I’ll have to ask Dr. Chang about it and hopefully it’s temporary.
Replies (2)